I celebrated my birthday this past weekend with some of my absolute favorite people in the entire world! My best friends flew into SF from Southern California, so obviously we had to do a Tour de Bay Area and eat as much as humanly possible in ~ 48 hours.

One of the spots I knew we had to check out was Alba Ray’s in the Mission District of San Francisco. Ever since our trip to New Orleans last year, I have been on the hunt for a restaurant that can deliver the same exciting, heart-warming feeling we experienced in The Big Easy. Boy, did we feel right at home at Alba Ray’s.

Alba Ray’s is located on Mission St., and oftentimes, parking is no bueno. We absolutely lucked out and snagged a spot about a block away – not bad for prime Sunday Brunch time!

Right when you step inside, you are greeted with jazz music and a welcoming vibe. The interior is very reminiscent of the funky atmosphere of New Orleans – there is so much personality! The walls are decorated with instruments and pictures of musicians, and no two chandeliers hanging above each table were alike! The skylight in the middle of the establishment added beautiful lighting. Great vibes all around.

What brunch is complete without drinks?! Our table opted for Bloody Marys, the Sazerac, and the Mission Milk Punch (all $12 each). They were all WONDERFUL.

Liv, a Bloody Mary aficionado, absolutely loved how savory and tangy her drink was. It was made with St. George Chile Vodka, Tomato, Ancho Reyes Verde, and spices. She loved that there wasn’t a lot of celery flavoring – it was definitely much more tomatoey. The green bean was amazing because it had soaked up all of the flavors, and the kick at the end was the best finishing flavor. The Sazerac is a classic cocktail made of Rittenhouse Rye, Bitters, and Absinthe – Jason said it was great! The Mission Milk Punch tasted like… a bourbon horchata! It’s made with Bulleit Bourbon, Ancho Reyes Verde, Half & Half, and Allspice. The menu described it as a long held Nola tradition, as Brandy/Bourbon Milk Punches are a staple at Sunday jazz brunches. It was to die for.

The menu is broken up into two different sections: Good Times (a section dedicated to cocktails) and Good Eats (a section dedicated to food). From there, the Good Eats section is further broken down to Starters, Lunchy, and Brunchy – how cute is that?!

For starters, we decided to go with the Char-grilled Oysters and the Beignets – two of the things that we consumed EVERY SINGLE DAY when we were in New Orleans.

The char-grilled oysters ($3.75 each)… where do I even begin? They are prepped with herb butter and romano cheese. These oysters were savory and buttery and cheesy and hot and flavorful and perfect. There aren’t enough words in the English language for me to describe how much we all loved them. The beignets were perfect little fluffy pillows of dough. Each inch was covered with powdered sugar, and it was paired with a salted caramel sauce. Wow. If I could eat these oysters and beignets everyday for the rest of my life, I absolutely would without a doubt.

I love my friends. Everyone LOVES to eat, and more importantly, everyone loves to SHARE!! What good is it to only order and experience one dish? Five people? Five dishes! We all get to taste and take a bite out of each other’s selections, allowing us to take in different flavors and get a better idea of the menu!

I absolutely cannot say no to a Benny, so I ordered a Boudin Eggs Benedict ($14.75). Let’s break it down – you start with a toasted English muffin, add a cajun pork sausage (which to be perfectly honest tasted a bit like corn beef hash – and I’m DEFINITELY not mad about it!) Next layer was a perfectly poached egg, runny and delightful. That egg is then topped with a flavorful cajun hollandaise… yum. But my favorite part in this dish was the green scallion puree drizzled on top. All the flavors in this dish worked together perfectly to deliver a well balanced benny. I can’t wait to try the other two they have on the menu – the shrimp remoulade benny ($15.50) and the fried chicken benny ($15). All of these benedicts are served with a side of mixed greens, and although I never considered myself a breakfast salad kinda gal, I thought that the dressing was bright and the greens balanced out how heavy and savory the actual dish was. Who knows, maybe I’ll be ordering side salads with my breakfast from here on out!

Jason ordered the Smoked Pork Hash ($12) – I mean wow. Look at all the colors in this dish! It’s got tater tots, onions, peppers, squash, smoked pork, and Jason asked for them to top it with a fried egg! Surprisingly, this dish was delicate and sweet! (Not how you’d think to describe a dish with pork and tots!) We all loved this one. It needed a kick – nothing that a few dashes of Crystal Hot Sauce couldn’t fix!

Derek ordered the Creole Chicken and Pork Jambalaya ($16). The sausage they used is house-made. It is spicy and yummy and I want the recipe! The toasted rice had a wonderful texture, and the dish overall had a delightfully acidic taste. I’ve never seen Jambalaya served this way, and I know that I’ll be craving this particular dish again in the future!

Liv got the Baked Eggs ($13.25), and wow. I think this was my favorite dish of the bunch. Picture this – you have a bed of creamy, cheesy grits in a little cast iron skillet. Top that with eggs, tomato, herbs, and crispy bacon. Mix it all together, and you have heaven in your mouth. Call me crazy but to me, it tasted a bit like lasagna and I am HERE. FOR. IT. Alex ordered the Breakfast Sandwich ($15.50) and let me say – it is the best breakfast sandwich I have ever tasted in my entire life. I don’t know how, but Alba Ray’s got this absolutely perfect. It’s got . two fried eggs, ham, andouille sausage, roasted tomato, caramelized onions, oozy pimiento cheese, and oozing remoulade sauce. In a word – WOW.

I believe that magic exists. In my eyes, this is reinforced every time I spend my time sharing a delicious meal and laughing with the people I love. There is nothing more magical than that. If this meal with this crew is going to be any indicator of how amazing this year is going to be, I am in for a treat. I will, without a doubt, be back to dine at Alba Ray’s – if not only for the good eats and good vibes, but also to relive the amazing memories I’ve made here.